Draw

word type: noun

A hand requiring additional cards in order to become a made hand.

Common Draws

* Flush draw - draw in which you need to hit one card of a certain suit to make a flush.
* Straight draw - draw in which you need to hit one card of a certain rank to make a straight.
* Backdoor draw - draw in which you need to hit two cards, one on the turn and one on the river, to make your hand.

2006 World Series of Poker

Even in the uncommon instances when a player on a draw is favorite to win the hand, it is not easy for that player to call a big all-in when he still needs to hit a card. Such was the case at the final table of the 2006 World Series of Poker. Down to three players, the flop was 6s-Tc-5s. Michael Binger, with A-T, bet and Jamie Gold, who had been running over the table, moved all-in with 3-4, which gave him an open-ended straight draw. Paul Wasicka held 7s-8s for an open-ended straight flush draw, a monster draw. After agonizing over his decision, he folded. Binger called and Gold hit his straight to knock out Binger in 3rd place. Wasicka would have won the hand, as a spade fell on the river.

There has been much debate over Wasicka's decision. He was the favorite in the hand at that point, as he had a ton of outs. Doubling through Gold, plus adding Binger's chips to his stack would have given him a fighting chance heads-up. Many feel he made a mistake by folding. But on the other hand, keep in mind that he didn’t know what the other players had. He may have thought, with all the action before it was his turn, that someone had a set and someone else had a better flush draw. Plus, by letting Gold, who had been running hotter than the sun, take on Binger, Wasicka had a shot to earn another $2 million by folding.